Joshua Whitehead is an accomplished Oji-Cree, Two-Spirit storyteller and academic from Peguis First Nation on Treaty 1 territory in Manitoba. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Indigenous literatures and cultures at the University of Calgary, located on Treaty 7 territory. Whitehead's work is heavily influenced by his cultural background and experiences as a Two-Spirit individual, and he is dedicated to using his platform to elevate Indigenous voices and stories.
Whitehead has gained recognition for his literary talents through a number of prestigious awards and publications. In 2016, his poem "mihkokwaniy" won Canada's History Award for Aboriginal Arts and Stories in the category for writers aged 19-29. This award came with a residency at the Banff Centre, providing him with the opportunity to further develop his craft. His work has also been published widely in Canadian literary magazines, including Prairie Fire, EVENT, Arc Poetry Magazine, CV2, Red Rising Magazine, and Geez Magazine’s Decolonization issue.
In addition to his poetry, Whitehead is currently working on a non-fiction, critical manifesto and a young adult novel titled Jonny Appleseed. The novel is based on a short story that was first published in the Malahat Review’s January 2017 Indigenous Perspectives issue. Whitehead's writing is not only highly regarded within the literary community, but it also serves an important purpose in preserving and sharing Indigenous stories and perspectives.